We Need Fish Residue Monitoring Plan – Aquaculture Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the aquaculture industry have called for the development of a Fish Residue Monitoring Plan to ensure the safety and quality of fish sold to the public and meet international standards and export requirements.

The stakeholders called on the Fisheries Commission (FC) to collaborate with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to develop the needed plan to safeguard the country’s fish.

The call was contained in a position paper presented by the Development Action Association (DAA) to the Fisheries Commission at a workshop in Tema.

Mr. Joseph Wise Seyram Klu, an agribusiness consultant, presenting the paper on behalf of the DAA, revealed that residues in farmed fish were not currently tested due to the absence of a residue monitoring plan for farmed fish in Ghana.

Mr. Klu added that due to that, it was difficult to ascertain the quality of fish produced in the aquaculture systems in accordance with the requisite food safety standards.

“A Residue Monitoring Plan is key to the requirement for farmed fish export into the EU market, and the absence of it is a barrier to entry for farmers wishing to export,” he stated.

He called on the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, and the Fisheries Commission to resource the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD), the National Food Safety Laboratory, or the GSA’s Food Laboratory with a Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) machine and its accessories to enable the testing of residues in farmed fish.

Mr. Francis De Heer, the Organisser of the National Aquaculture Association, on his part said it had become critical for the FC to operationalize an aquaculture biosecurity plan to help in managing bio-certification of fish farms and regulate aquaculture practices.

Mr. De Heer added that it would require an urgent institution of farmer and consumer-oriented programmes to promote aquaculture, and safeguard sustainable water resource management and food safety, noting that would also ensure the protection of wild species while promoting healthy, productive, and resilient water-use ecosystems.

He said the institution and implementation of a fish farm bio-certification programme would also minimize production losses, reduce the risks of pests and diseases affecting farmed fish and the environment, as well as reduce the risk of losing market access for Ghana’s farmed fish.

Ms. Emelia Nortey, a DAA member lamented the absence of documented aquaculture disease surveillance, disease preparedness, and control plans by the Fisheries Commission, and therefore called on the Fish Health Unit of the Fisheries Commission to engage the Veterinary Services Directorate to develop one for the aquaculture sector.

Ms. Nortey also encouraged the Fisheries Commission to strengthen ties and synchronize its operations with the VSD, FDA, and GSA due to their vital roles in the sector.

She also called on the Fisheries Commission to resource technical officers to supervise the biosecurity plan and the bio-certification programme, as well as ensure the establishment of fisheries desks at the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Mr. Paul Bannerman, the Deputy Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, receiving the position paper thanked the DAA and GIZ respectively for their efforts and support of the process through its Sustainable Employment through Agribusiness (AgriBiz) programme.